COMPLICATIONS:Motivation (Research): Superhumans are the most fascinating medical cases in the world, and the most socially acceptable way to spend as much time as possible around them is to be a superhero. Doctor Mercury sometimes needs to be reminded that fighting supervillains is more important than studying them.Public Identity: Dr. Sasha Wintour is a known mutant and costumed adventurer. She isn't especially famous, but there are people who recognize her.Enemy (medical community): Sasha's combination of ego, poor social skills, and radical methods has made her enough enemies among her peers to cause trouble for her professionally, and while her medical license hasn't been revoked yet, she's skirting the edge. Most of her professional enemies are law-abiding, but some are happy to sell temporary superpower cocktails on the black market.

Why Are You On The Team?: Being a professional superhero lets Doctor Mercury get access to state of the art laboratories and gives her an entire team of metahuman case studies collected for her convenience. And she also gets paid!

Why Might You Have To Be Away?: Abrasive or not, bad reputation or not, Sasha is still one of the best medical minds in the country, or at least the city. More respectable doctors call her in to consult on difficult cases from time to time.

Why Might You Have To Leave?: Give her a real job as a medical researcher, with the respect of her scientific peers and a respectable career, and she'll jump at it.

Background: Sasha Wintour was born a low-level mutant, a metahuman with mildly enhanced strength, speed, and agility. At ten years old she had roughly the strength of three grown men and could run as fast as a horse. Her powers weren't very impressive compared to the real superheroes and supervillains out there, but to Sasha, they were fascinating, and she grew up studying medicine and biochemistry. Using herself as a test subject repeatedly has made her stronger, faster, and overall physically superior. It's also made people around her uncomfortable, and she doesn't have a lot of friends. Or any friends. She also doesn't have a lot of real life skills. Most of the time she barely notices.

"Bio-Inventor" functions the same as Inventor, or Ritualist, or Artificer, but instead of using Technology or Expertise: Magic it uses Expertise: Medicine. Most of the time, Doctor M is only a passable fighter, and when she runs into things too far away/dangerous to punch she mostly uses the combination of Quickness and super-strength to do things like evacuate bystanders and clear away wreckage.

The combination of Quickness and inventing is the part that feels a bit iffy to me. With a routine design and construction check, Sasha can make a serum or injection worth 19 points. This would take 76 hours normally, but with Quickness 6, it only takes 76 minutes.

Increasing the creation DC to reduce time, she can also make a medicine worth 14 points in 28 minutes. Or one worth 9 points in 9 minutes. Or one worth 4 points in 2 minutes!

Here are a few examples:

Internal Plasma Furnace: Cone Area Damage 9, Incurable. 19 point power requiring 76 minutes to reconfigure her organs. Then she can breathe fire! Breathing fire impresses people, and it also solves regenerating monster problems.

Big Pretty Wings: Flight 4 (Flaw: Wings). 4 point power requiring 2 minutes to ingest the proper catalysts and grow the wings. Doctor M's costume has a cut-out in back, just in case she needs to fly and has a drug store handy.

Added a little more to Doctor Mercury. She actually has a name and a background now! Any thoughts on whether or not an Inventor with Quickness is pushing it?

Why Are You On The Team?: He mostly feels its his one shot at redemption though he is loathe to admit this to others.

Why Might You Have To Be Away?: "Real Life" keeps all of us from the table sometimes. So just in case, I should have a reason why you would need to miss a mission or two. See below.

Why Might You Have To Leave?: Occasionally Quicksilver takes off to visit his daughter...and wife at the Inhuman Refuge and often he does not give advance word to his teammates about his absences, figuring its none of their business anyway...

History:

One wouldn't blame himself at keeping an wary eye on Pietro Maximoff despite the latter's occasional good deeds. As the son of the infamous mutant terrorist, Magneto and an early supporter of his anti human policies, Quicksilver would have fell down the dark path of hatred forever had not he and his sister, Wanda changed their minds about their father and left him to seek their own paths. Pietro even met and married an enchanting member of the Inhumans (an hidden offshoot of humanity with metahuman abilities ) named Crystal who worked by his side briefly. They even have a daughter, Luna.

However, he never really lost his arrogance toward normal people, making him one of the most unpopular of the superheroes and alienating his teammates, including his own sister Wanda. Eventually Crystal left him and took their daughter with her back to the Inhumans though they still have both mixed feelings for each other.

While Pietro struggled to put his private life in order, he also tries to moderate his elitist attitudes and find his place in the world as a true hero.

But it is quite hard when the worst enemy is oneself.

I'm totally sorry that i misread the Intro post but once i read the line Justice League/Avengers, i sort of blew my sanity check.

Added a brief explanation as to why Maia is running around with “The Trident of Poseidon,” despite the fact that the actual Poseidon still has his trident and the Turei family doesn’t have any connection (that they are aware of) to the divine King of the Seas.

That depends on whether or not her secret identity is just being concealed from other by her changing her costume (and thus the standard genre tropes kick in where Lois just doesn't recognize Clark without his glasses looks exactly like Superman) or if her donning the costume actually produces some sort of magical effect where nobody could ever recognize her (which is why Usagi's own mother and little brother cannot recognize that Sailor Moon looks exactly like Usagi).

The first is the standard Secret Identity Complication, the later would be a 1 PP Feature.

Rosa acheived the fame that many young women hope for - she became a viral youtube sensation. Only she didn't want it. She had been out shopping for her mother, and had picked up a pendant necklace for herself on a whim (it kind of 'called' to her, if that makes sense). It was set with Amber and some green stone, and had swirly markings. She could only afford it because the street vendor was nice (and was having trouble selling it otherwise). She was taking the bus home, laden with shopping bags. There were some unsavory guys on the bus who saw a pretty, vulnerable young lady and started harassing her. She tried to make herself small, she wished fervently they'd go away, they didn't. The fight or flight response in her was punctuated by a rush of energy and green light issued from her eyes and mouth as bark started to spread up her body. The men could not get away quick enough. The whole bus was thrown into chaos and cellphones recorded the emergence of this plant-thing. Rosa fled the bus, squeezing vine-like out the window and was most of the way down a block before a voice intruded itself on her mind. "I knew ye were one o' us, Lass." Rosa almost started running again.

"Nay, nay, calm yerself. Me name's Seamus an I can help ye." the voice said. He went on to explain that he, Seamus O'Toole, had been a druid in life. Bound in spirit to the necklace and charged with passing along knowledge. Times changed and he fell into the hands of those deaf to his words. He'd nearly given up when he sensed Rosa, who's magic, though a different 'flavor' was at least compatible with his teachings.

Rosa wanted no part of it. Rosa is the daughter of two Mexican Immigrants (her mother is legalized, her father is not). Her father works as a landscaper and her mother is a nurse at the Local University Medical Research Center. The family is tight-knit but at their wits end financially speaking. Her mother's status at the University meant Rosa could be considered for a scholarship and they were truly blessed that got it but she had to keep her grades up to keep it and didn't have time to learn a whole new discipline. Seamus convinced her that the magic, now awakened, would only grow in strength and possibly cause 'other changes'. Reluctantly, she agreed. But only to keep a 'handle' on things.

A week later, when her youngest brother found the youtube of 'plant-monster attacks local bus', showing it to the family over dinner no less, Rosa couldn't hide her reaction from her parents and had to come clean about everything - the magic, the necklace, everything. They thought she was going crazy until she invoked a cantrip to make their houseplants grow. Even then they talked long about what to do. Of course her little brother thought she should go out fighting crime like other super-heroes and, of course, teach him to do 'plant stuff' so he could be her sidekick.

Her father's immigrant status made Rosa hesitate to draw attention to herself or her family in any way. Rosa's mother brought her to the hospital to make sure the young woman was okay physically. Maria Del Garrio nearly fainted when the MRI scans revealed systemic fibrous growth running throughout every major organ in Rosa's body. Seamus, speaking into Rosa's mind, was elated. Rosa was a well-spring of Green Magic, it's energies aligned with plants, and it was even turning her body more plant-like. Maria didn't like the sound of that but her daughter seemed healthy enough. Seamus did relay that the more Magic Rosa could use externally the slower her lignification (a word she had to Google) would be.

It was a few months before [benefactor] found her. It was Rosa's worst fear but the benefactor assured her that nothing would be reported to the authorities and that he could even help the family situation. Rosa agreed. The benefactors PR people chose the name 'Semilla' (Spanish for seed)

Even without covering herself in bark armor she a remarkably hardy girl with insides more like the consistency of wood than flesh.

Complications:
Duty (Family) - the Del Garrios are the world to her.
Kind-Hearted - hasn't been 'hardened to a super-heroes life, will prefer non-lethal options and gives chances to surrender
Possibly Second-Class Citizen (Mexican-American/poor) - if her status ever comes up
Duty (College) - she still has to keep her grades up
Secret(powers) - she doesn't want the public to know
Wellspring of Green Magic - Complications could result from the Magic that bubbles through her or she could be sought after for the well spring inside her.
Power loss - if unable to Speak or Gesture.
Complication (Must Roll on the Miscast Table if rolling a Natural 1) [if ever casting without the aid of her wooden cross].
Druid Charm - Might be recognized and try to be reclaimed, or Seamus O'Toole may have his own desires/responsibilities.
Appearance - her appearance when barkskinned could be alarming and her voice becomes deeper and more echoing

Why Are You On The Team?: Benefactor promised to help Del Garrio family, and Rosa needs and outlet for the wellspring of magic inside of her anyway. Plus she does want to help, as long as her anonymity and that of her family could be assured.
Why Might You Have To Be Away?: Important college test or event that Rosa can't miss and/or benefactor couldn't get her out of.
Why Might You Have To Leave?: Seamus needs Rosa to go on spiritual retreat such as a visit to Stonehenge to 'reset' Rosa's powers.

Rosa

Tree Form

Charm

Her disguised 'magic staff'

Last edited by Flynnarrel on Tue Jul 24, 2018 8:02 pm, edited 5 times in total.

That depends on whether or not her secret identity is just being concealed from other by her changing her costume (and thus the standard genre tropes kick in where Lois just doesn't recognize Clark without his glasses looks exactly like Superman) or if her donning the costume actually produces some sort of magical effect where nobody could ever recognize her (which is why Usagi's own mother and little brother cannot recognize that Sailor Moon looks exactly like Usagi).

The first is the standard Secret Identity Complication, the later would be a 1 PP Feature.

The secret identity complication is brought up by situations where your secret identity could be exposed. So if you find yourself in a situation where you can't act without giving away that you are a superhero.

Both examples you gave produce the same effect in the end. Being in costume for whatever reason prevents people form recognizing you, and that is always a Feature. There's nothing at all wrong with it in concept, I'm just pointing out that it itself is not a complication. ^^;

Now, if the complication was more about not being able to use powers when not transformed, then that is definitely a complication, but it's Power Loss, not Secret (Though what you name your complications is less important than making sure they are actually complications)

Except for something like 90% of official Green Ronin superheroes (both M&M and DCA) will have the Secret Identity Complication, but also have no mask, helmet, cowl, or other means of obscuring their face... and no one who should recognize them does.

Here’s a link to the free preview of Power Girl Green Ronin released to promote Heroes and Villains. Note that she has the Secret Identity Complication, but Power Girl doesn’t wear any sort of mask and when she’s Karen Star she doesn’t even bother with Clark-style eyeglasses. (To say nothing of Power Girl and Karen Star both possessing one very prominent identifying feature!)

This is just one of those “genre conventions” that comes standard with most superhero settings. Obviously, Jabroniville has final say on how this works in the Jabverse... But given how many other four-color conventions the setting seems to be playing straight, I think that the Clark Kenting Trope is in play.

It makes me wonder if having a recognizable face should be an extra Complication all its own. When somebody pulls Spider-Man or Batman's mask off it's treated like a really big deal, and even those guys with the tiny domino masks pretend it successfully hides their faces sometimes.

Here’s a link to the free preview of Power Girl Green Ronin released to promote Heroes and Villains. Note that she has the Secret Identity Complication, but Power Girl doesn’t wear any sort of mask and when she’s Karen Star she doesn’t even bother with Clark-style eyeglasses. (To say nothing of Power Girl and Karen Star both possessing one very prominent identifying feature!)

SEA MONSTER: Y'know, keeping the name "Mako" would actually be okay, because it'd be amusing watching all of the arguments/mistakes it'd cause, ESPECIALLY since she's an enemy of theirs. Since I use a lot of "real comics" stuff, "accidentally copied names" is TOTALLY a thing. "Leviathan" would be a solid name, but more befits a Giantess, I suppose.

Interesting Statline- a bit of a scrapper-type. I dig the "Move Object" effect. Weather Control is solid- I was afraid I wouldn't see too many esoteric powers in the team, so this is good. "Throw Lightning" has a good inborne Quirk that makes tactics important- I like it.

So her "Strength of the Ocean Depths" is actually Power-Lifting, right? I was confused for a second there. Shouldn't that whole deal be only ten points, or am I misreading something somewhere.

The backstory totally works. Who knows if Lady Typhoon is gonna come back or not ? Never mind Poseidon's many kids!